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If we take all swordsmen/women, make all swords unbreakable, equalise stats, remove all other esoteric powers and remove other weapons, so that it's based purely on their skill with a sword - who would come out on top? Does a Jedi come out on top? A pirate? A bronze age hero? A Game of Thrones character? One from Lord of the Rings?

Limiting it to comics, live-action movies and live-action tv.

Tolkien didn't care about fights much. Now Jackson did and Aragorn obviously kicked ass in the films.

GoT characters don't have haxx skill, they're pretty realistic.

Jedi rely on the Force a whole f*cking lot, so we can't assess their skill level properly.

Wolverine has many sword feats. Silver Samurai and Black Knight come to mind, too.

The best would probably be some anime characters.

Few characters come to mind
Swordsman (obviously)
Zoro
Conan
Red Sonja
Warlord
Silver Sable
Silver Samurai
Samurai
Dr Mcninja (if web comics count as comics)
Black knight
Wolverine
Green Arrow
Ras Al Ghul

Elric

You mean........ZORRO ZORRO ZORRRRROOOOOOOOO

Think beat meant Zoro from One Piece.

ZORRO is still the greatest

Just wanna point out Ras is pretty shit at swordfighting......All that experience, and Bats stalemates him.

It'll probably be someone from Bleach or something.

If you remove super-strength, as the OP does, a large portion of video game/manga/anime characters straight up lose the ability to use their swords.

Originally posted by lawest9
ZORRO is still the greatest
lol he can't even beat Mihawk

lancelot du lac, fionavar tapestry. if you've never read it, i envy you. ohhh i envy you....

Conan.

Equalized stats?

Felix Jaeger, Ciaphas Cain, and Lucius the Eternal are some top contenders.

Originally posted by DarkSaint85
Conan.

Is Conan truly that great? As for the thread Connor MacCleod

Atomic Samurai from One Punch Man. :P

^But this seemingly Limiting it to comics, live-action movies and live-action tv.anime and manga should not including
Anyway I personally think is Dante from Devil may Cry

Manga has better swordsmen than Comics. Samurai trumps all

Inigo Montoya.

Originally posted by DarkSaint85
Inigo Montoya.

Doubtful. He's a great character, but in the film he was thoroughly trumped by Wesley, and while the novel does differ in it's portrayal of the fight, he still concedes that Wesley is his outright superior when it comes to fighting on flat terrain.

wesley def > montoya

We really need more actual feats to back up this debate. Pin point accuracy, fencing kills, striking through defenses, feinting abilities, ground management etc.

Also a more effective swordsman in single combat doesn't necessarily have the feats to triumph in a group match or against different weaponry. Are we counting cutting through metal as a superhuman feat by default?

Originally posted by Bentley
We really need more actual feats to back up this debate. Pin point accuracy, fencing kills, striking through defenses, feinting abilities, ground management etc.

Also a more effective swordsman in single combat doesn't necessarily have the feats to triumph in a group match or against different weaponry. Are we counting cutting through metal as a superhuman feat by default? In addition to this, limiting feats to comics, movies, and video games cuts off notable characters from several other genres from even being considered and severely limits characters that also have appearances in those other genres.

Originally posted by StiltmanFTW
Jedi rely on the Force a whole f*cking lot, so we can't assess their skill level properly. I mean, even if you disallow the enhanced physicals and precog the Force gleans, the top-tier Jedi/Sith are still excellent swordsmen who have trained their whole lives to master the art of lightsaber combat.

Originally posted by deathslash
In addition to this, limiting feats to comics, movies, and video games cuts off notable characters from several other genres from even being considered and severely limits characters that also have appearances in those other genres.

The line has to be somewhere though right? Or we could make another thread that encompasses all of fiction.

Originally posted by Bentley
Are we counting cutting through metal as a superhuman feat by default?

Is there a specific instance that you have in mind?

Originally posted by gauntlet o doom
The line has to be somewhere though right? Or we could make another thread that encompasses all of fiction. make the thread bro. I want to wank my favorite characters and bask in the tears of losers.

Redguard Sword Singers from Elder Scrolls lore who mastered the Pankratosword technique could cut through atoms and create nuclear explosions, the usage of one such technique apparently sinking the continent of Yokuda. All through martial study and training.

Originally posted by StiltmanFTW
Think beat meant Zoro from One Piece.

No I meant Zorro who fights the alcaldi to save Los Angeles from unfair taxes.

Originally posted by StiltmanFTW
Tolkien didn't care about fights much. Now Jackson did and Aragorn obviously kicked ass in the films.

GoT characters don't have haxx skill, they're pretty realistic.

Jedi rely on the Force a whole f*cking lot, so we can't assess their skill level properly.

Wolverine has many sword feats. Silver Samurai and Black Knight come to mind, too.

The best would probably be some anime characters.

I agree with this mainly, but If you were to go with a list, there are a crap ton more established characters that have appeared in comics than in mostly any other medium. Well at least in my opinion any way. But there are some awesome ones in anime, and video games. Off the top of my head in terms of skill I favor...

Wonder Woman, Silver Sable, Angela, Gamorra, Kratos, Aurelie the Apokoliptian, Shiva, Black Widow, Red Sonja, Conan, Night Crawler, the Monkey King. Oh, and Excaliber from Warframe lol.

Artemis Entreri is up there, if fictional books are allowed.

Originally posted by DarkSaint85
Just wanna point out Ras is pretty shit at swordfighting......All that experience, and Bats stalemates him.

It'll probably be someone from Bleach or something.

To be fair, I would argue that's more Batman just being really damn good. He's certainly had the training.

Originally posted by Galan007
I mean, even if you disallow the enhanced physicals and precog the Force gleans, the top-tier Jedi/Sith are still excellent swordsmen who have trained their whole lives to master the art of lightsaber combat.

Zorro stomps.

Yep Zorro is very good.

Samurai Jack?

Nemesis was op with th sword.

Hawkeye and Roronoah Zorro are pretty good.

Originally posted by DarkSaint85
Conan.